Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
catching up.
i've been a little busy and haven't had time to download all the pictures from the past week.
here is my dad on his birthday. pratt had so much fun at the sandbar and is ready to go back and maybe play miss pacman.
here is goodwin, dad and gene. dad is being silly. of course he is.
cookie brought pratt back this cool snow bunny hat from new york. thanks cookie! he loves it!
the adorable outfit summer bought for him. it's his first organic outfit. that's right...he's saving the planet. one outfit at a time. just call him little leo. as in dicaprio. oh, i'm hilarious.
we got to have lunch with the greatest and greatma yesterday. how much does pratt LOVE the greatest!? how cute. i love his little face here.
this is what yoda does to every package i wrap. she chews the ribbon.
ace checking to see if there are any squirrels outside. he stands at the backdoor....oh, maybe 20 out of the 24 hours during a day.
yoda thinks that if her body is hidden, you can't see her. she's a genius.
our tree. next to it is pratt's new red wagon from his pops. thank you pops! i see many trips down our driveway in that thing. good thing his dad is a dentist. and we have lots of physician friends.
after a long day of being a baby...
allison had a wonderful cookie exchange last night! we had so much fun and got lots of yummy cookies! pratt loves brandy...and apparently think allison is too funny!
here is my dad on his birthday. pratt had so much fun at the sandbar and is ready to go back and maybe play miss pacman.
here is goodwin, dad and gene. dad is being silly. of course he is.
cookie brought pratt back this cool snow bunny hat from new york. thanks cookie! he loves it!
the adorable outfit summer bought for him. it's his first organic outfit. that's right...he's saving the planet. one outfit at a time. just call him little leo. as in dicaprio. oh, i'm hilarious.
we got to have lunch with the greatest and greatma yesterday. how much does pratt LOVE the greatest!? how cute. i love his little face here.
this is what yoda does to every package i wrap. she chews the ribbon.
ace checking to see if there are any squirrels outside. he stands at the backdoor....oh, maybe 20 out of the 24 hours during a day.
yoda thinks that if her body is hidden, you can't see her. she's a genius.
our tree. next to it is pratt's new red wagon from his pops. thank you pops! i see many trips down our driveway in that thing. good thing his dad is a dentist. and we have lots of physician friends.
after a long day of being a baby...
allison had a wonderful cookie exchange last night! we had so much fun and got lots of yummy cookies! pratt loves brandy...and apparently think allison is too funny!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
pratt and his mom.
i bet i kiss his neck...oh, i dunno...maybe 500 times a day. right there. below his mandible. it's soft. and smells like a baby. this is my favorite picture so far. and there have been many, many pictures. but this takes the cake.
now...if only i could keep him this small...
Friday, December 19, 2008
the grass is always greener...
two weeks before pratt arrived, we moved.
i loved it. the grass is always greener...huh, buddy?
towns. counties. well...it's different out here. we're on a 3 acre lot. wooded. and we're on top of a hill. it's country. someone once said that we live where there are horses and cows. i think they were being ugly...rude..but what.ev. about a mile down the road is access to the saline river. yes, my friends...yes. and yes phillip petty...pratt will be swimming in that thing. and he will love it!
so, i've fallen in love with this place. it took 3 months...but i'm finally loving it. it's not much different than the neighborhood i grew up in.
anyway, today i was leaving our house...and i had to take a picture of what i saw.
you see...i was stopped in the middle of the road to let a bunch of guinies walk by. i thought they were chickens...but clint says they are guinies. i don't know what that is....maybe you do. anyway...i stopped to let them cross...
and on my left...this is what is literally at arms distance from me. like, i could have stuck my arm out the window and touched this guy.
i loved it. the grass is always greener...huh, buddy?
i felt like i needed to document that i love it here. even though that one redneck hasn't taken down his confederate flag. oh well...maybe when pratt gets big enough we can go egg his house or something :) he totally deserves it. either that...or maybe some forks in the yard.
pratt is surely going to be a country boy. i can see it now. he'll wear cowboy boots all the time.
ahhhh, i can't wait :).
Thursday, December 18, 2008
oh, susanna...
when i was younger, my dream was to work in africa. i couldn't watch any of those commercials that show all those poor little kids, starving. they always had swollen little bellies. and i couldn't take it. i was the person that would turn the channel. i'm serious. like, i physically couldn't watch. i would get sick. i would cry. for days. i would think about it over and over and over again. get stuck on it. and be useless.
i didn't know that there were other people out there like that. well, at least, i didn't know until i read "the secret life of bees". it was then i met may boatwright. and her wall. and since then, i feel i should go around singing "oh, susanna!". cause that's where i'm at with this sensitivity thing.
my sister is a school teacher in a small, rural town. she teaches fourth grade. she is wonderful at this job. much better than me. i quit being a school teacher after 3 days once. i walked out. some kid used the f word with me...and i up and walked out. never went back. i think i got a check two weeks later for like 67 dollars.
anyway, spencer is good. really good. she's smart. understanding. loves those kids. obviously doesn't do it for the money. but she does it for them. because i know that seeing them get it...whether that be by their grades...or by them clapping out words...either way, she gets joy in seeing them succeed.
today mom, pratt and i visited her. there was a certain little boy that i've heard her talk about. i told her that i wanted to meet him. you know, put a face with a name. so she called him out into the hallway.
i can close my eyes and see him now. he was tall. with dark hair. i spoke to him...called him by name and told him that i had heard so much about him. so many good things. he just beamed and looked up at spencer. i happened to glance down at his shoes. i noticed immediately that they were too big. but it's one of those things...you know, where you don't want to stare too long. because you don't want to be rude. so i hurriedly looked back up at his face. i smiled at him. and it was then i saw the hair on his clothes.
spencer told him that he could go back into the classroom. as he walked away, she closed her classroom door. and she said, "yesterday, he got to shop with a cop. this morning, on my desk, was an angel ornament...all wrapped up. he bought it for me while shopping."
"shop with a cop" if you don't know...is something that several towns are doing for kids. they raise money from local businesses and then take certain kids (those in need) to shop for christmas presents.
it absolutely broke my heart that he had bought something for spencer. i, much like spencer...wish that he had spent that money on himself. but it just killed me that he not only thought about her...but he put it in action...and bought something for her. there is no doubt in my mind that she will keep that little ornament for the rest of her life.
a little boy. a little boy given a small amount of money, and he gets her a gift. a little boy with no selfish bone in his body. how many times have i wanted to give? how many times have i passed that red bucket outside walmart? and not stopped. because i only have 10 dollars. and that would buy 10 sonic cokes at happy hour. how many times have i intended to buy something for someone...but instead..i talk myself into buying something for myself. because i don't have enough. right, right. that's my being sarcastic.
and yet, this little boy. this little boy who probably hasn't had a new piece of clothing in his entire life...he can be selfless. but i can't. me, at 29 years of age...i can't be selfless.
i asked spencer about his shoes. she said they were probably too big for him. and she told mom and me that the hair on his clothes was from the chickens that live in his house. yes. chickens. in his house.
i don't understand. i don't understand why this happens. i don't get how in america there can be fourth grader...wearing his step-father's 8.5 size tennis shoes. instead of the size 4.5 that he needs.
america. where i have so many shoes, some are still packed in boxes in my closet. where we have so much food in our pantry...we could go months and not run out. where we always have money to pay the bills. where pratt has a closet full of clothes...some he has never worn because we literally ran out of days.
someone once told me that once i had a child, i'd see the world differently. i would no longer see it as a woman...as a sister...as a daughter. instead, i'd see it as a mother.
i realized it today. i wanted to take that kid home with me. i wanted to bring him here. give him a warm bed. warm clothes. shoes that fit. all of it.
i have no doubt that his parents love him. i know they do. and i'm sure that they are doing the best they can. but it still breaks my heart.
my fingers are slippery now. i have tears all over my face...and all over this keyboard.
i'm not sure i can wrap this up. there is no way to tie a pretty little ribbon around this and call it the end.
i guess i pass this on. i pass on this emotion. pass on the gift of giving to those less fortunate. and i become better. i become a better giver. a better prayer warrior. a better mom. a better wife. all of it.
i promise to teach pratt to give. i promise to teach him to always put God first, others second and himself third. i will do this by example. i will do this by giving. by loving. by doing.
my hope is that you do the same. because if we don't...who will?
i didn't know that there were other people out there like that. well, at least, i didn't know until i read "the secret life of bees". it was then i met may boatwright. and her wall. and since then, i feel i should go around singing "oh, susanna!". cause that's where i'm at with this sensitivity thing.
my sister is a school teacher in a small, rural town. she teaches fourth grade. she is wonderful at this job. much better than me. i quit being a school teacher after 3 days once. i walked out. some kid used the f word with me...and i up and walked out. never went back. i think i got a check two weeks later for like 67 dollars.
anyway, spencer is good. really good. she's smart. understanding. loves those kids. obviously doesn't do it for the money. but she does it for them. because i know that seeing them get it...whether that be by their grades...or by them clapping out words...either way, she gets joy in seeing them succeed.
today mom, pratt and i visited her. there was a certain little boy that i've heard her talk about. i told her that i wanted to meet him. you know, put a face with a name. so she called him out into the hallway.
i can close my eyes and see him now. he was tall. with dark hair. i spoke to him...called him by name and told him that i had heard so much about him. so many good things. he just beamed and looked up at spencer. i happened to glance down at his shoes. i noticed immediately that they were too big. but it's one of those things...you know, where you don't want to stare too long. because you don't want to be rude. so i hurriedly looked back up at his face. i smiled at him. and it was then i saw the hair on his clothes.
spencer told him that he could go back into the classroom. as he walked away, she closed her classroom door. and she said, "yesterday, he got to shop with a cop. this morning, on my desk, was an angel ornament...all wrapped up. he bought it for me while shopping."
"shop with a cop" if you don't know...is something that several towns are doing for kids. they raise money from local businesses and then take certain kids (those in need) to shop for christmas presents.
it absolutely broke my heart that he had bought something for spencer. i, much like spencer...wish that he had spent that money on himself. but it just killed me that he not only thought about her...but he put it in action...and bought something for her. there is no doubt in my mind that she will keep that little ornament for the rest of her life.
a little boy. a little boy given a small amount of money, and he gets her a gift. a little boy with no selfish bone in his body. how many times have i wanted to give? how many times have i passed that red bucket outside walmart? and not stopped. because i only have 10 dollars. and that would buy 10 sonic cokes at happy hour. how many times have i intended to buy something for someone...but instead..i talk myself into buying something for myself. because i don't have enough. right, right. that's my being sarcastic.
and yet, this little boy. this little boy who probably hasn't had a new piece of clothing in his entire life...he can be selfless. but i can't. me, at 29 years of age...i can't be selfless.
i asked spencer about his shoes. she said they were probably too big for him. and she told mom and me that the hair on his clothes was from the chickens that live in his house. yes. chickens. in his house.
i don't understand. i don't understand why this happens. i don't get how in america there can be fourth grader...wearing his step-father's 8.5 size tennis shoes. instead of the size 4.5 that he needs.
america. where i have so many shoes, some are still packed in boxes in my closet. where we have so much food in our pantry...we could go months and not run out. where we always have money to pay the bills. where pratt has a closet full of clothes...some he has never worn because we literally ran out of days.
someone once told me that once i had a child, i'd see the world differently. i would no longer see it as a woman...as a sister...as a daughter. instead, i'd see it as a mother.
i realized it today. i wanted to take that kid home with me. i wanted to bring him here. give him a warm bed. warm clothes. shoes that fit. all of it.
i have no doubt that his parents love him. i know they do. and i'm sure that they are doing the best they can. but it still breaks my heart.
my fingers are slippery now. i have tears all over my face...and all over this keyboard.
i'm not sure i can wrap this up. there is no way to tie a pretty little ribbon around this and call it the end.
i guess i pass this on. i pass on this emotion. pass on the gift of giving to those less fortunate. and i become better. i become a better giver. a better prayer warrior. a better mom. a better wife. all of it.
i promise to teach pratt to give. i promise to teach him to always put God first, others second and himself third. i will do this by example. i will do this by giving. by loving. by doing.
my hope is that you do the same. because if we don't...who will?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
our little t-bird.
you know that feeling you get once you feel you've mastered something. maybe not mastered...but gotten used to something. you know...when you finally feel comfortable. in your skin. like no matter what gets thrown your way...you'll totally be able to handle it.
i'm there. put a little red circle on the ground...and make me stand on it. cause i'm there.
there is nothing that pratt could do that would throw me. mark it down. december 17th. my dad's birthday of all days.
i can take him anywhere...i really mean anywhere. all alone. which is the hardest for me. because it seems since getting married, i've become more dependent. i have always credited my parents for making me independent. but somewhere in the past 2 years...i've lost that.
at least, i thought i had. but not anymore. there is something so refreshing knowing that i can be a mom...a good mom, i think...all alone. it's not that clint doesn't help. because he does. it's that for so many hours of the day, i'm alone. just me and pratt. and it's nice to know that i'm okay. because for so, so long...what, 3 months now...i haven't been. it's like i was always more comfortable...better...when clint was home. and i needed to get to this place. bad. in a bad, bad way.
on another note. bill and denise gave pratt a gt convertible. it's black and white and makes you want to sing...go grease lightening...
he's finally comfortable holding up his head. so we put him in it. and no surprise...his legs touch the ground. he's not quite sure what to do with it. but he LOVES it. he loves to just sit in it and look around. it's pretty hilarious.
here is the car. it's black and white. and pretty much the coolest car ever.
i'm waiting on the christmas cards. they are supposed to arrive today. more later. i'm headed home for my dad's birthday. i love going home. love it. love it. love it.
i'm there. put a little red circle on the ground...and make me stand on it. cause i'm there.
there is nothing that pratt could do that would throw me. mark it down. december 17th. my dad's birthday of all days.
i can take him anywhere...i really mean anywhere. all alone. which is the hardest for me. because it seems since getting married, i've become more dependent. i have always credited my parents for making me independent. but somewhere in the past 2 years...i've lost that.
at least, i thought i had. but not anymore. there is something so refreshing knowing that i can be a mom...a good mom, i think...all alone. it's not that clint doesn't help. because he does. it's that for so many hours of the day, i'm alone. just me and pratt. and it's nice to know that i'm okay. because for so, so long...what, 3 months now...i haven't been. it's like i was always more comfortable...better...when clint was home. and i needed to get to this place. bad. in a bad, bad way.
on another note. bill and denise gave pratt a gt convertible. it's black and white and makes you want to sing...go grease lightening...
he's finally comfortable holding up his head. so we put him in it. and no surprise...his legs touch the ground. he's not quite sure what to do with it. but he LOVES it. he loves to just sit in it and look around. it's pretty hilarious.
here is the car. it's black and white. and pretty much the coolest car ever.
i'm waiting on the christmas cards. they are supposed to arrive today. more later. i'm headed home for my dad's birthday. i love going home. love it. love it. love it.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
3 months
today pratt turns 3 months old. i cannot believe it. i know it's cliche...but it really does seem like just yesterday he was born.
he is 26 inches long which puts him in the 95th percentile. and is basically in 6 to 9 month clothing. weird, i know. he's in it because of the length. not because of his weight. he doesn't fill out the 3 to 6 stuff...but it's too short. again...milkman's baby. that's the only explanation i have. either that...or the genes from uncle doug and uncle jim are stronger than i ever thought possible. i'm sure it will catch up with him soon.
he has gotten the hang of sleeping. he naps throughout the day and then falls asleep around 830. he sleeps till 4 or 5. then gets up to eat and sleeps for another 2 to 3 hours. then he's pretty much up for the day. his naps during the day last from 30 minutes to an hour. he fights sleep like you wouldn't believe. he hates it. clint and i love. again...think milkman.
he weighs around 14 pounds...best i can tell.
he loves his baby einstein playmat. loves mr. star. he loves trying to stand up. he gets sick and tired of us putting him in the same positions. he loves public places with bright lights. he will not sleep if there are any fluorescent lights nearby. instead, he just gazes at them. and mirrors. he loves mirrors. he will find and stare at any tv that's on. and i let him. because i'm a bad mom. he'll be the kid that watches tv...because like my sister (the school teacher) said...kids that don't get to watch tv are weird. that's what she said...not me. i mean, i don't use it as a babysitter or anything...but the kid will be a tv watcher. his mom loves tv. like that's one of the things i'd ask for on a deserted island. a tv, peanut butter, a sudoku puzzle, clint and pratt. those five things.
he's taking four ounces. and pretty much believes he should eat every 2 hours. it's a fight to 3 hours. he's happy. he smiles. he giggles. when you squeeze his legs, he laughs and loses his breath.
it's hard to remember what my life was like before him. i cannot imagine it without him now...and it seems so much better with him in it. not that there aren't hard days. but when he smiles at me...and seems happy...i feel i have a purpose. and it makes me want to do more. be more. be better. be the best parent for him. because he deserves it.
we love you.
here he is today at 3 months.
below are some of my favorite pictures from the day he was born. i came across them recently and i don't think any of them are on here.
look at my face. i feel so sorry for him. he's crying. but there were so many people wanting pictures that i couldn't do anything about it. and i'm pretty drugged here. i'm sad. it shows.
my dad. this is exactly what i see when i close my eyes. his glasses. everything. i love it.
here he is with his greatma. she loved him. she loved him long before he arrived.
happy 3 months little prattatouille. we love you.
he is 26 inches long which puts him in the 95th percentile. and is basically in 6 to 9 month clothing. weird, i know. he's in it because of the length. not because of his weight. he doesn't fill out the 3 to 6 stuff...but it's too short. again...milkman's baby. that's the only explanation i have. either that...or the genes from uncle doug and uncle jim are stronger than i ever thought possible. i'm sure it will catch up with him soon.
he has gotten the hang of sleeping. he naps throughout the day and then falls asleep around 830. he sleeps till 4 or 5. then gets up to eat and sleeps for another 2 to 3 hours. then he's pretty much up for the day. his naps during the day last from 30 minutes to an hour. he fights sleep like you wouldn't believe. he hates it. clint and i love. again...think milkman.
he weighs around 14 pounds...best i can tell.
he loves his baby einstein playmat. loves mr. star. he loves trying to stand up. he gets sick and tired of us putting him in the same positions. he loves public places with bright lights. he will not sleep if there are any fluorescent lights nearby. instead, he just gazes at them. and mirrors. he loves mirrors. he will find and stare at any tv that's on. and i let him. because i'm a bad mom. he'll be the kid that watches tv...because like my sister (the school teacher) said...kids that don't get to watch tv are weird. that's what she said...not me. i mean, i don't use it as a babysitter or anything...but the kid will be a tv watcher. his mom loves tv. like that's one of the things i'd ask for on a deserted island. a tv, peanut butter, a sudoku puzzle, clint and pratt. those five things.
he's taking four ounces. and pretty much believes he should eat every 2 hours. it's a fight to 3 hours. he's happy. he smiles. he giggles. when you squeeze his legs, he laughs and loses his breath.
it's hard to remember what my life was like before him. i cannot imagine it without him now...and it seems so much better with him in it. not that there aren't hard days. but when he smiles at me...and seems happy...i feel i have a purpose. and it makes me want to do more. be more. be better. be the best parent for him. because he deserves it.
we love you.
here he is today at 3 months.
below are some of my favorite pictures from the day he was born. i came across them recently and i don't think any of them are on here.
look at my face. i feel so sorry for him. he's crying. but there were so many people wanting pictures that i couldn't do anything about it. and i'm pretty drugged here. i'm sad. it shows.
my dad. this is exactly what i see when i close my eyes. his glasses. everything. i love it.
here he is with his greatma. she loved him. she loved him long before he arrived.
happy 3 months little prattatouille. we love you.
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About Me
- hannah
- i'm a girl who likes to write. not a girl that's necessarily good at writing. it's cathartic, i think. and boy do i need that from time to time. i married a wonderful man named clint in may of 2007. he is everything i am not. he is calm. he makes plans. he is organized. his truck is always clean. his clothes are hung by types of shirt/color/size/etc. i'm full of nervous energy. i'm spur of the moment. i can't ever find what i'm looking for. we live in my car...pretty much. i'm lucky if my clothes are within ten feet of my closet. God gave us a precious angel of a baby in september of 2008. his name is pratt allen. he is 2.5 years old.we have another little one on the way. his name is max wesley. and he is due may 19th. somehow i'll be the mother of two boys. craaaaa.zy. i spend my days cleaning house. picking worms and caterpillars out of the flower beds. cooking meals. shopping at target. washing clothes. playing on the floor. reading books. doing puzzles. traveling to sonic. and the library. and blogging. i hope you enjoy our blog. feel free to leave a comment. hopefully it's a nice one. i tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.